Pharmacologist and "godfather of ecstasy" Alexander "Sasha" Shulgin died Monday evening after a battle with liver cancer, The Independent reports. He was 88.

In a note on Facebook, Shulgin's wife, Ann, wrote: "Sasha died today, at exactly 5 o'clock in the afternoon. He was surrounded by family and caretakers and Buddhist meditation music, and his going was graceful, with almost no struggle at all."

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Shulgin famously synthesized MDMA, ecstasy's purest form, in 1976, and initially passed it on to his therapist friend, Leo Zeff. As The New York Times reported in an expansive 2005 profile on Shulgin, MDMA garnered the reputation as a miracle drug in many therapeutic circles, helping patients quickly achieve breakthroughs that otherwise would have taken years.

Shulgin began his career with Dow Chemicals, creating his first psychoactive molecule there, an amphetamine that wasn't as strong as LSD and was eventually sold by biker gangs in New York. When Dow discovered the origin of the chemical, their relationship with Shulgin deteriorated, and the scientist left, setting up his own lab in Berkeley, California in 1965 where he could research psychedelics.

According to Times story, by his own estimate Shulgin created over 200 psychedelic compounds, often testing them on himself, his wife and their friends. The profile also quotes a passage Shulgin wrote after his first experience with psychoactives, kickstarting the pharmacologist's long, strange trip:

"I understood that our entire universe is contained in the mind and the spirit. We may choose not to find access to it, we may even deny its existence, but it is indeed there inside us, and there are chemicals that can catalyze its availability."

Seems like a hell of a guy, I only wish that I was in his inner circle. God bless him

Mdma's not really addicting in the same way that blow or the heavier drugs are. It's a powerful tool/drug and it's meant to be taken with caution and respect. If you go overboard with it and get addicted that's pretty much your own fault.

It's the same thing with Pot. Pot is great and has lots of values that can benefit your life, but if you wanna smoke it 24/7 and become a retard- that's your own fault.

"I understood that our entire universe is contained in the mind and the spirit. We may choose not to find access to it, we may even deny its existence, but it is indeed there inside us, and there are chemicals that can catalyze its availability."

I don't think so. But I believe that the guy who created MDMA has to have some sort of appreciation. It's a hell of a drug and much more useful than any other street drug out there. Yes, It's dangerous. But when used responsibly, can be fucking awesome.

[Krayzie] What's happenin nigga?
[Dealer] Hell yeah, what's up my nigga?
Ain't nothin just out here grindin, my nigga you know what it is
What's up nigga what you need?
[Krayzie] I need some weed
[Dealer] Aw man, I don't even fuck with the weed no mo'
[Krayzie] What?
[Dealer] Aw hell naw, man I got this new shit, man
This shit called ecstasy, man
[Krayzie] Ecstasy, what?
[Dealer] Nigga this tha shit, man
[Krayzie] .. the fuck?
[Dealer] Nigga this shit will have you on the level
With ya' female and everythang, nigga; look ..
[Krayzie] Tsk, this nigga trippin
[Dealer] I'mma give you one of these motherfucker's
Let you try this motherfucker out, man
And I bet you be callin me tomorrow
Talkin 'bout you wan't some more of this shit
Man, I'm tellin you, shit have you on the level
Man, you need to put the weed down fuck wit this shit
Boy, I'm tellin you, boy
[Krayzie] This nigga trippin
[Dealer] This shit'll have you on the level
[Krayzie] Fuck it, gimme one of them motherfuckers there, man
[Dealer] Here, take that one and call me in the mornin, nigga